Nothing But A Picture
by Pink Blackberry Girl
Summary: Stephanie Gilmore’s dad left her before she was born, or at least that’s always what her mom told her. Now at the age of 16, she is off to find her dad and learn the truth. Rogan!
1. Logan Huntzberger

Here is yet another Rogan story, apparently I just have a lot of ideas lately!

This is going to be a fully story, but it probably won't be that long, only around ten chapters or so.

Basically, Rory and Logan and a daughter named Stephanie, and now, sixteen years later, Stephanie is on a mission to find her father.

Future chapters will be longer, this is more of an introduction.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, but I do own Stephanie.

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Now that she was finally home alone, Stephanie had snuck into her mom's room and was sifting through her old college yearbooks. She was looking through them, page by page, trying to find her father. Looking at each student, she compared it to the man in the picture she had of her parents together.

When she was little, Stephanie would always ask about her dad. Her mom never told her anything, insisting that she did not want to talk about him. Then one day when Stephanie was about seven years old, her mom got tired of her asking questions, and gave her a picture of the two of them together.

Stephanie had always cherished that picture, and it was almost always with her or on the the nightstand next to her bed. Every night before she went to sleep, she would roll over and say goodnight to him. And sometimes on her birthday or other special occasions, she would even talk to it – telling the man in the photo about her day, as if he could somehow hear her.

The only thing she knew about her dad was that he and her mom met in college. After her mom gave her the picture, she never asked about her dad again, but she always wanted to know more. Sometimes she would try to gain the courage to question her mom about him again, maybe now that she was older she would tell her, but she could never bring herself to do it And it wasn't like her mom ever made and effort to bring it up, either.

Flipping the page, she scanned the pictures, looking for one that matched the one she was holding in her hand. After an endless search through hundreds of pictures, she finally found him.

"Logan Huntzberger." She said aloud as she ran her finger under his name.

_Why does that name sound so familiar?_ She thought, trying to figure out where she had heard it before. But her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the garage door; her mom was home from the store.

Tearing the page out of the year book, she stuffed it and the picture of him in her pocket, and pushed the box of old yearbooks back under her mom's bed.

"Steph, I'm home, are you here?" Rory shouted from downstairs.

"Ya, I'll be down in a minute." Stephanie shouted back as she tried to erase all the evidence of her being in her mom's room.

Now that she finally knew who her father was, she was going to find him, and she was going to find out why he had left.

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What do you think? Review please!


	2. No Going Back

Ok, so I've been wanting to update this, but I have been having a horrible couple of weeks. I got sick (again) and then a bunch of other crappy things happened and I just wasn't in the mood to write and I couldn't concentrate. I was going to update "You're her brother?" first, but I had an idea for this story, and I needed to write it. I will hopefully update my other stuff soon.

You should know that its midnight right now, and I have like a bazillion medicines and crap in me, so the chances of it not making sense and it having like a million grammar mistakes are high. Lol.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Gilmore Girls.

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_Now that she finally knew who her father was, she was going to find him, and she was going to find out why he had left._

Shifting in her seat, Stephanie turned her head away from the window and back towards the inside of the crowded bus. She was tired of looking at all the perfect, fancy houses with their expensive cars and perfect gardens. But, at least that meant they were getting close.

After waiting until her mom was out of the house again, she had looked up the so called Logan Huntzberger – she had wanted to be completely sure there was no chance of her mother finding out what she was going – and found out he had taken over his father's paper, was extremely rich, and only lived two hours away.

Stephanie was now on his way to his house, where she was determined to confront him and find out the truth about him. But with each passing minute, she became more and more weary. How would he react? Would he accept her? Would he push her away? Would he even recognize her?

The bus slowly came to a stop, the doors squeaked as they opened, and Stephanie hesitantly stood up. She could hardly believe she was doing this. In less than five minutes she was going to see her father again. That is, if he was there.

Then it hit her, what if he wasn't home? What if someone else answered? What would she say? What would she do? But she quickly shook the thoughts out of her head, he had to be there, he just had to.

She walked up to his door, counting each step, memorizing the path. His house was gigantic; it was more like a mansion. The pathway leading up to it was long, and the garden around it was flawless. She noted the multiple cars in the driveway; each one more expensive than her entire house. It was a picture perfect home. It was her father's home. But it wasn't hers, nothing about it was familiar, and she feared that it never would be.

Stephanie reached the top of the steps. She straightened the purse on her shoulder and smoothed down her skirt. She was nervous. She was anxious. She wished she had never done this. But it was too late to turn back, she was at his house, standing on his doorstep, and she was going to have to go through with it.

She stood there for a moment, working up the nerve. Taking a deep breath, Stephanie raised her hand, clenched it in a fist, brought it up to the door, and knocked.

_One, two, three_.

At first she thought no one was home, but then she remembered all the cars in the driveway. There had to be someone. When she heard the faint footsteps from inside, increasing in volume as the made there way over, Stephanie tried to smile. She tried to look normal, but she knew that was impossible, she was a wreck.

She watched as the door started to swing open, preparing herself for what was about to happen. This was it; there was definitely no going back now. She started to take in a breath, preparing herself for her introduction, when she saw who was at the door. It was not the person she expected.

"May I help you?" The young girl asked when she saw the confused expression on Stephanie's face. He had a daughter? He had a family? But she shouldn't have been so surprised. Of course he had a family, of course he had other kids. It wasn't like he just put life on hold as soon as he left their lives.

And even though she knew it was impossible, Stephanie always dreamed that when she found him, he would just come running back to her and her mom, and things would pick up where they left off. But those things only happened in fairytales, and this was not a fairytale, it was real life. And in real life, Logan Huntzberger, her father, had moved on. He had a new life. He had new kids. He didn't need her. What was she thinking ever coming here in the first place?

Now that she thought about it, she didn't even know where they had left off. At one point did he leave? Had he ever even met her before? Chances were, he hadn't. So why had she gone to such great lengths to find him? Was it even worth it?

But she had, and now here she was, starring at his precious daughter. How old was that girl anyway? Thirteen? Fourteen? How long after he left her did he start his new family? All those questions were swirling around in her head, mocking her for her idiocy. She was so stunned she had forgotten to speak.

"Are you ok?" The girl asked, eyeing Stephanie suspiciously.

"Ya, I'm fine, I just..." But she was cut off by someone else entering the doorway.

"Brie, who is it?" The man asked as he looked outside to see who it was. When he saw her, Stephanie could have sworn he was having a heart attack. He just stopped, and starred at her, completely shocked and so confused. Stephanie had always been told she was a spitting image of her mother, and this was proof. It was also proof he remembered. Or at least he remembered her mom.

"Who are you?" Logan asked.

"I'm....I should go." Stephanie stammered as she turned to run away. But she didn't get any farther than two steps before she felt a strong hand on arm, pulling her back.

"You look familiar. Do I know you?" He asked again.

"No, you don't." Stephanie stated plainly, trying to release herself from his tight grip. But then she sighed, she hadn't come all this way for nothing. "Yes, you do. Maybe. I don't know. I should go."

"Please, just tell me who you are."

"I'm...nobody." Stephanie sighed, she wasn't giving in. She had changed her mind, she couldn't go through with it. She couldn't go through with it.

"At least just answer me one question." Logan begged. "Who is your mother?"

"Why?"

"Just tell me."

"Rory. Rory Gilmore." Stephanie muttered.

"That's what I thought." The mumbled under his breath. "And how old are you?"

"I'm 16." She told him, thoroughly confused. But if Stephanie was confused, then Logan was baffled. He was beyond that. He was completely stunned.

And without thinking, he let go her arm, and she ran away.

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So, how was it? Did it make sense? lol Reviews make me happy!

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	3. The Letter

Oh my god, I have had such an insane week, its crazy! But I felt like I should write something....but again, it was at like midnight, so apologies in advance for all the mistakes I know I made :D

Disclaimer: As much as I would love it if I did, I don't own gilmore girls...

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_And without thinking, he let go her arm, and she ran away._

When Rory came home, she found her daughter alone in her room, crying and shaking uncontrollably. She wouldn't answer when Rory asked her what was wrong, and, claiming she wanted to be alone, Stephanie just pushed her mom away.

At the time, there was nothing Rory could do for her, so she eventually just left Stephanie alone, checking on her every hour or so, and each time her heart broke at the sight of her only daughter so miserable and upset. Finally, after many painful hours of Rory listening to her cry, Stephanie cried herself to sleep.

After finally hearing silence coming from upstairs, Rory went back up to check on Stephanie one more time. She found her asleep, sprawled across the bed, with her arms tightly wrapped around her favorite stuffed bear. Her eyes were red and swollen, her hair tangled and matted, and her body was still gently shaking, and yet she looked more peaceful than she had all night.

As Rory silently made her way over to the bed to tuck her in, she noticed something sticking out from under Stephanie's arm. Trying her best not to wake her, Rory carefully reached down and pulled the objects out from under her.

In her hands were two items, the picture of Logan she had given Stephanie, which was now torn in half, and a piece of paper with an address scribbled on it. _She must of found him_, Rory thought to herself.

Gently stroking Stephanie's hair, she placed the pieces of the picture back where she found them, but put the address in her pocket. Logan had some explaining to do.

...

Rory slowly treaded up the long pathway, the same path her daughter had traveled only hours earlier, trying to stay as calm and rational as she could be. However, that was a very hard thing to do considering the circumstances. She was about to face her ex boyfriend, who broke her heart, and question him on why their teenage daughter was on the verge of a breakdown. This was not exactly how she had planned their next meeting. In fact, she had hoped that they wouldn't ever have to meet again.

As she took the final few steps to the door, she noticed someone peering at the window. The door swung open before she had reached the top of the stairs.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Rory demanded angrily, forgetting all about the "calm and rational" speech she had come up with in the car.

"What are you talking about?" Logan asked her, clearly lying. This was the first time he had seen Rory in over sixteen years, and he desperately wished that the circumstances were different. He didn't want to be fighting with her; he wanted to tell her how glad he was to see her again. He wanted to pull her into a tight hug and tell her that he missed her.

"You know what I'm talking about." Rory took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down once more.

"I didn't do anything to her, I swear." Logan quickly defended himself.

"Ya, well then why is there an extremely hurt teenager girl lying on her bed at home? She cried herself to sleep today, Logan. She's never done that before, she's always a happy and cheerful girl. And then today, I come home to find her a total wreck, bawling her eyes out, with a piece of paper with _your_ address on it in her hands. Explain that to me!" Rory demanded again. Logan had no idea what she was talking about; he was just as confused as she was.

"Don't you think you should be the one explaining things to _me_? I open the door to find a sixteen-year-old girl that looks exactly you standing on my doorstep, and you want _me_ to explain?"

"You had your chance Logan, and now I want to know why she is so upset. What did you say to her, huh?" Rory practically screamed. Sighing, she mumbled, "How did she even find you?"

"I swear, Rory, I didn't say anything to her. I tried, but she ran away!" Logan defended himself again. He had no idea why Rory and Stephanie were so upset, if anyone had the right to be mad, it was him.

"Well something had to have happened, or she wouldn't be crying her eyes out right now. I want you to tell me exactly what happened, and don't leave anything out."

"I don't know what happened when she first got here, my daughter answered the door, and..." But Rory quickly cut him off.

"Your _daughter_ answered the door? No wonder she's so upset!" Rory exclaimed, realizing why Stephanie had been so distraught. After noticing Logan's confusion, she quickly explained herself.

"Despite the fact that I told her that you will _never _be in her life, she has always had some hope in the back her mind, a fantasy of how you would come back to us and we would all live happily ever after, just like in the fairytales. Ever since she was four years old she has dreamed up ways you could come back, each one more elaborate and wishful than the last. If she found out that you had moved on and started a new family, she would be devastated. Thanks a lot, Logan."

"Rory..."

"No, just don't even say anything, you've done enough. I came here to find out what happened, and I did. Now I need to get back to my daughter and try to explain to her, yet again, why her dad is not coming back." Rory turned away to leave, but the sound of Logan's voice stopped her momentarily.

"You can't just do this to me Rory! You can't just show up at my house, tell me I have a daughter, and then leave. That's not the way it works."

"I _did_ tell you Logan. That letter explained everything. You are the one who chose not to be in her life, not me."

"What are you talking about? I never got any letter!"

"Ya, well I certainly got yours." Rory shouted back as Logan watched yet another Gilmore girl walk away from him that day.

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So, what do you guys think? Reviews make me smile! :)

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	4. An Explanation

Ok, sorry for waiting so long to update. "You're her brother?" will come next.

Lets just say my life has been crazy and leave it at that.

Now, I only have a few seconds before I have to go, so I haven't fully edited it yet.

Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls is not mine.

**AN: After I got a few of helpful reviews, I realized that, yes, I did say Sophie once instead of Stephanie. I mixed up my stories. Sorry! It's fixed now! But in my defense, I wrote it really fast (actually, I wrote half of it a while ago, then forgot about it, then came back and aded to it, so theres a chance it doesn't flow, either) and I had to leave but I really wanted to post it, so I never had time to reread it or edit it or make sure it made any sense. Again, sorry. Someone said they were confused, and I dont blame you, it probably was confusing! lol I promise that I will be more careful on the next chapter! haha**

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"_Ya, well I certainly got yours." Rory shouted back as Logan watched yet another Gilmore girl walk away from him that day._

At first, Rory wanted to drive straight home. She wanted to be with her daughter, comfort her, and reassure her that they would always be a family, just the two of them. They didn't need Logan Huntzburger. But then she realized she didn't know what to say, how to explain things. That's why she'd never told Stephanie much about her father.

And so, to clear her head, she just drove. Anywhere and everywhere. Her head was pounding, her heart was racing, and her hatred of Logan grew stronger with every passing second. She figured Stephanie would be asleep, so she wouldn't miss her for the time being, but at the same time, Rory knew she had to get home.

When she finally did get back, Rory found Stephanie asleep, curled up on her bed. She stirred at the sound of her mother entering the room, but neither said anything. Rory laid down on the bed next to her, and the mother-daughter duo fell asleep in each other's arms.

But now Stephanie was awake, and she wanted answers. She had figured out she wouldn't get them from her dad, and that only left one person. Rory.

"Why didn't you tell me my father was Logan Huntzburger?"

Rory didn't know what to say. She'd spent many hours in the car thinking, and she realized that she had been completely unprepared for this moment. She never thought that her daughter would ever find out who her father was, let alone meet him. It was a question that she prayed she would never have to answer. A question she had never prepared to answer because she thought it would never come up. Now she knew she was going to have to answer it, and she was going to have to have a pretty good answer so her daughter would forgive her.

Gently stroking her daughter's hair, she carefully chose the words to describe why she never told Stephanie about her father. Stephanie, still trembling beneath her, was patiently waiting for her mother's reply.

"I...I wanted to tell you who he was."

"I know you did. So why didn't you?" She was still trying to hold back the tears, and her voice was still shaking. Rory wanted to save the conversation for later, when they were both calm and were thinking rationally, but she knew this couldn't wait. Not any longer.

"Your father isn't exactly a father type of guy…" Rory attempted to explain, still unsure exactly how this conversation would go, but she was interrupted by Stephanie.

"He is now. You didn't see his daughter. She was beautiful. She was picture perfect. He has a new daughter now, one that he can love and cherish, he doesn't need me. I should have never gone there." Stephanie admitted.

"No, you shouldn't have. If I wanted you to meet your father, you would have. There is a reason I never told you about him. When I was with him, he was not a father type of guy. I told him about you, and he didn't want to be a part of your life. What happened after that I had no control over. Your father was also known for breaking hearts. He broke mine many times. I couldn't stand to see you go through that, but you did anyway."

Stephanie was crying again, and so was Rory.

"And don't you _ever_ think that his new daughter is any prettier or better than you, because you are perfect. You are my daughter, and you are perfect."

"If...if I'm so perfect, then why doesn't he want me? Why doesn't he want me, mommy? Why does he love his new daughter so much, but not me?"

"Shh, sweetie, it's ok." Rory held her daughter close, and tried to calm her down. "I don't know why, honey, but it's his loss. If he doesn't want you in his life, then it has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with him. But we don't need him, right? Remember what we always talked about? We're ok, just us. I love you. Your grandma and grandpa love you. Your great grandparents love you. The rest of your family loves you. Your friends love you. That's all you need. Remember?"

"I..re..remember." She leaned into her mother, and cried until she couldn't any more. She wasn't mad at her mom, but she was furious with her dad. Suddenly, he wasn't the great, mysterious man that she had always perceived him to be. Now he was just a cruel man who didn't want her. No boy before had broken her heart so much.

"How about…we go see Grandma Lorelai and Grandpa Luke tomorrow. We can all go see a movie and have dinner. We can even invite Sookie and her family. That's always fun, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Stephanie sighed, "But I don't know if I want to talk to anybody right now. Even Grandma Lorelai."

"Ok, sweetie, then tomorrow it'll be just the two of us. We'll watch cheesy movies, eat ice cream, and wallow all day long. I learned a long time ago that wallowing is the best cure for a heartbreak. Then in a few days, when you are feeling better, we'll go down to Stars Hollow and visit your grandparents. How does that sound?"

"Good," Stephanie turned around and hugged her mom, "that sounds good."

"Then that's what we'll do. All day, you and me. We don't need him, we _never_ needed him."

"I guess you're right." Stephanie sighed.

"You _guess_ I'm right? Just admit it; I'm right, I'm _always_ right, for I am never wrong. Because I am just that truly amazing. Haven't we been over this before?" Rory joked.

"Yeah, yeah." Stephanie laughed.

"That's my girl."

And suddenly, life with just the two of them didn't seem so bad. They would always have each other, whether they were laughing or crying.

…

Rory and Stephanie sat comfortably on the couch, watching movies, eating junk food, and trying to forget the events of the day before. But they both knew they would never forget it. Rory never wanted Stephanie to know her father was, but now she did, and the truth broke her heart. Rory could hardly stand it. And this was all she could do to cheer her up.

Sometimes Rory wished her life could have turned out differently. Maybe if Logan had stayed with them, or if she had never gotten pregnant in the first place…no, she would never wish that. Stephanie was the best thing that ever happened to her. And she would do anything to protect her daughter.

Inside, the girls were crying their heart out over a sappy movie, outside an expensive car was parked; both Gilmore's were oblivious to its presence. Inside the car, Logan sat thinking, trying to work up the nerve to knock on the door.

This house was much smaller than his, the garden wasn't perfect, and he knew there would be no maid waiting at the front door to greet him and take his coat, but it was just as intimidating as Logan's own has had been to Stephanie the day before. The greatness of the house was nothing compared to what waited inside.

Slowly, nervously, he stepped out of his oh so expensive vehicle and made his way up the door, not sure of what would come next.

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Ya...a little rusty...and again, not edited. Whatever. lol.

Review!


	5. The Truth Is Out

Well, I figured that since I updated "You're her brother?" I should probably update this one too, and I was amazed and how quickly I was able to write this. I forgot how much I love this story. (And for those of you who are wondering, I'm working on the next chapter of "You're her brother?" now, it just takes me a little longer to perfect it. It should be up within a week or so.)

Again, I'd like to massively thank Fluf for her help. She's like my unofficial beta. Love you, fluf! I also need to thank Swim, who gave me the final approval because SOMEONE wasn't replying to her PM's!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, but Stephanie is mine.

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_Slowly, nervously, he stepped out of his oh so expensive vehicle and made his way up the door, not sure of what would come next._

Logan slowly made his way up the front porch steps, each step a little slower than the last. Every second that passed he wanted to run away, to get back in his car and drive home, but every time he told himself that he couldn't do that, this was something he needed to do.

Not having worked up the courage to knock on the door yet, he discreetly peered through the window. Inside he saw two girls, his girls, sitting on the couch. The TV was on, and they were both crying. He noted the massive amounts of junk food and takeout on the table in front of them – it was such a Gilmore thing to do.

Logan almost went back for a different reason, he didn't want to interrupt such a sweet moment – a mother and daughter bonding together, crying over the man who ruined their lives, crying over him. It was almost too much to take. Almost.

But Logan knew that leaving wouldn't resolve anything, and he couldn't keep running, he was going to have to face the truth, and the moment was now. In a moment of confidence, he reached his finger up, and rang the doorbell.

Inside the house, Rory and Stephanie heard the sound of the door bell ringing, just now becoming aware of the man standing on their doorstep.

"Pause the movie, I'll go get it," Rory told her daughter, forcing her lazy self to get up off the couch.

Not taking the time to look out the window to see who was on the other side, Rory swung the door open. After seeing his face, her smile quickly faded, and she tried to slam it shut, but Logan held it open, and he was stronger than she was.

"Who is it, mom?" Stephanie called from the other room. She didn't get a response, but she heard her mom raising her voice at whoever it was.

"What are you doing here? I thought I made it clear today that we didn't want you around, we were perfectly fine without you, and I don't want you breaking her heart again. So please, just leave." Rory insisted, her hand still firmly pressing against the handle, even though she knew she would not win the battle, she just had to try anyway. Her eyes were filled with anger and determination, she was intently glaring at him, and the thought of Rory hating him broke Logan's heart.

From the living room, Stephanie was intently listening to the conversation, picking up on ever word. She knew who it was.

"Rory, we need to talk about this," Logan protested, his fingers tightly wrapped around the edge of the wood, his hand clamping down so hard that it was turning red.

"I don't want to talk about this; there is nothing to talk about. You told me you didn't want to be in her life, that it would ruin everything, and so I raised her alone. You do not get to come in now, that's not the way it works," Rory rambled on, struggling to keep herself composed. She wanted to keep a straight face, to be strong, but the tears were staring to come, and she knew she couldn't keep it up much longer.

"Rory, that's why I'm here, I have no idea what you're talking about," Logan protested, "If I had known…"

"What do you mean 'If I had known', I told you, and then you told me you didn't want to have anything to do with her!" Rory practically shouted, her face now starting to turn red.

"But I never said that! I never got that letter," Logan continued to plead with her, he seemed sincere, but Rory didn't want to believe him.

"Then who replied back, Logan? Who? Tell me, I'd like to know," Rory questioned, slightly lowering her voice.

"I don't know who it was, but it wasn't me!" That's when it suddenly hit him; he knew who had sent the letter. "My father, it must have been my father!"

"And why would he do that?" Rory asked, even though she knew very well why Mitchum would do such a thing. In fact, she was surprised she never thought of it herself.

"Because he didn't want me to be distracted!" Words started rushing out of Logan's mouth as he furiously tried to explain what must have happened, he just wanted Rory to believe him, "I'd just started a new project with him, I was doing everything I could to distract myself from losing you, and he saw it as an opportunity to get me to work harder. He must have been the one who got the letter, and so he sent one back so that I would never find out. There's no other explanation!"

"And why should I believe you?" Rory asked him, finally letting go of her firm hold on the door, she knew he wasn't leaving now, so she didn't try to stop him anymore.

"Why would I be here if it wasn't the truth?" Rory knew he had a point, and she knew that Mitchum would do anything if he thought it would benefit himself, but still, she didn't want that to be the answer, she just wanted to go back to the way things were before. Life was so much easier when they lived blissfully unaware fo the truth.

"Fine, then what do you want?" She finally asked him, taking in a deep breath and trying to calm down her nerves - she already knew what he wanted.

"I want to be in her life, I want her to know who I am, and I want to apologize for what happened earlier." Rory had to admit, considering the circumstances, those were not unreasonable requests. But that didn't mean she had to like it, and it didn't mean she was willing to forgive him that easily.

Neither Rory nor Logan noticed the solemn teenage girl standing in the doorway, leaning against the white wooden frame, clinging on to every word.

"I forgive you."

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Don't you just love my cliffhangers? lol

Don't forget to be on the lookout for the next chapter of "You're her brother?" (and if you haven't read the last chapter yet, go check it out!)  
The next chapter of this story should also be up within the next week.

Reviews make me smile (and update faster!)


	6. Running Away

So, I could probably give you a million reasons why this took so long, but the main thing is I couldn't post it before camp and as soon as I got back we moved and when we were finally settled in, school started. (and my beta-like person took a week to read it, and didn't like all of the previous drafts I wrote, so if you want, you can blame it all on her :D)

Only a few more chapters left!

The next chapter of "You're her brother?" will be up either tonight or tomorrow, it still needs a little more editing and I'm really busy tonight.

Disclaimer: Sadly, Gilmore Girls is not mine..

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"_I forgive you."_

Stephanie whispered, her voice hoarse and barely audible, yet still loud enough for her parents to hear. The room was instantly silenced, it was the kind of quiet where you could hear a pin drop, each breathe and heartbeat seemed to be projecting at an unusually high volume, and neither Rory nor Logan, both bewildered and in a sudden moment of shock, had any idea what to say.

Stephanie, now realizing what she had done and the trouble she had possibly caused, panicked, and after making a quick decision on what her best option was now, she took off running out the open door, her arm gently brushing against Logan's jacket as she passed him.

Quickly wiping her swollen eyes, she chocked back her tears and continue to run as fast as she could down the small street, the houses, trees, cars, and flowers becoming nothing but a blur as the cold rush of air pushed back her long, wavy hair and sent a shiver through her already trembling body. Stephanie didn't want to stop, didn't want reality to catch up with her, and for now this was the best way she could think of to clear her mind. As she continued to sprint down the winding road, she took in deep breathes to help calm her nerves. The thought that if she just kept running she could go anywhere almost gave her a sense of power and control, and she liked it that way.

Back at the house, Logan quickly whisked around in attempt to go after his daughter, but Rory quickly stopped him.

"Don't do it, that'll only make things worse," Rory warned him. Although her voice was calm and confident, Logan also detected a hint of anger and resentment, most likely towards him.

"What are you talking about?" Logan questioned, his voice rising, "Our daughter just ran away! What are you going to do, just sit there?" He was furious, and he was confused. He couldn't understand why Rory wouldn't want to go after Stephanie and bring her back.

"She'll come back, don't worry," Rory assured him, "When she is ready, she will come back, and she will talk to you. Until then, you just have to wait."

"Are you sure?" Logan questioned, slightly raising his voice, sounding thoroughly unconvinced.

"Am I sure?" Rory spat back, quickly going into a defensive mode, "Of course I'm sure! She's my daughter, I've raised her her entire life, I think I know my own kid by now!"

Rory was practically screaming now, and Logan stood motionless, unsure of how to respond.

"You may think you can come in now and be her father and it will all be okay," Rory began, taking a deep breathe and lowering her voice back down to a normal speaking volume, "but in reality you know nothing about being a father to her. I was the one who took care of her all these years, I stayed up with her when she was sick, I made her a lunch every day for school, I drove her to every track meet, and I've watched her run out of this house in that same fashion every other time things got to overwhelming for her to handle.

"Now, I know that that isn't your fault, I understand that now, and I do not blame you," Rory took another breathe, pausing a second before continuing, "But you have to trust me when I say that sometime in the next 20 minutes, Stephanie, our daughter, will come back through that door and she will sit down with you and you two can talk things out for yourselves."

"I'm sorry, Ac-" Rory cut him off before he could call her by her old nickname, that was something she definitely couldn't handle.

"Don't-Don't call me that," Rory muttered, pushing a strand of hair from her face, "Just go into the living room and sit down and wait. Make yourself comfortable, I don't know how long she'll be. I'm going to go outside and get a breathe of fresh air for myself, and then I'm going to go up to my room." Rory stated as she quickly turned to walk away.

"What, you're just going to leave?" Logan questioned, grabbing her arm to stop her from leaving, "Don't you think we should talk about this?"

"There's nothing for me to talk about with you. Stephanie is sixteen years old, she is almost an adult. She found you by herself, and she is old enough and mature enough to make a decision about this on her own. I trust whatever she decides to do, and I trust you to uphold your end of the bargain as well." The tears started to well in her eyes as she realized that she really had no say in what her daughter decided now, she wasn't a little girl anymore, and she couldn't protect her forever. At some point she knew this would have to happen, and Rory knew Stephanie had to be the one to figure it out for herself. If she wanted to see her father, then that was her choice, and there really was nothing she could do to stop it. She didn't like it, but in the end she knew that Stephanie's wants and needs were the only things that mattered.

Forcing back the tears, Rory gave Logan a reassuring smile as he released his grip on her arm, stepped outside, and sat down on the porch steps for a moment to think. Much like her daughter, the fresh air helped her too, and she really didn't feel like being with Logan at the moment. She just didn't have the courage to face him. Despite her realization, she knew she would have to speak with Logan eventually, the really did have things that needed to be discussed, but she just wasn't quite up to the task right now.

A few moments later, earlier than expected, Stephanie came rushing around the corner. Out of breathe and covered in sweat, she ran up the wooden steps and pulled her mother into a tight hug before facing the challenges that awaited her inside.

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I'll try to have the next chapter up soon, but no promises. Again, only 1 or 2 more chapters left!

Review! :)


	7. Talking It Out

So, this is probably the second to last chapter. Can you believe it's almost over? I can't...

Anyway, here it is :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls. Stephanie is mine, though.

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A few moments later, earlier than expected, Stephanie came rushing around the corner. Out of breathe and covered in sweat, she ran up the wooden steps and pulled her mother into a tight hug before facing the challenges that awaited her inside._

Rory held Stephanie in her arms for a moment, kissing her on the top of her head and wishing her good look. Stephanie gave her mom a reassuring smile and squeezed her tightly before turning around to head inside.

Taking a breathe, she slowly reached out her hand and turned the golden handle, her moves slow and steady, taking her time before stepping in the door and turning around the corner into the brightly lit living room. Shaking her nerves away, she took another breathe, and sat down in a chair across from Logan, neatly folding her hands in her lap.

Logan, whose head had previously been buried in his hands, picked his head up and nervously waited a second for Stephanie to be the first to say something. Still trying to get used to idea that he was sitting two feet away from his daughter, he was waiting for her to make the first move.

"Listen," Stephanie began, her voice quavering ever so slightly, "I know the truth now, and really, that's all I ever wanted to find out when I went searching for you. I know you have another family, and I understand if you never want to see me again." The words came tumbling out of her mouth, and though she didn't mean what she said, she thought this would the the safest route to go, and the easiest for her mother and her to handle. Maybe if they never thought about him again, they could move on with their lives and go back to how things used to be, back when it was just the two of them. Stephanie liked living with her mother, and in the past it had always been enough, and she didn't want this to change anything between them. Life had been so easy and simple then. Why did she do this?

"Stephanie.."

"No, I don't want to get in the way of your life and your family, I have a family here with my mom, that's all I need." Stephanie told him, acting very mature for her age and trying her best to sound convincing, "I don't want to get between you and your other kids and your wife. It's not fair, and you should just go home now and never come back."

"Stephanie, I'm not going to do that," Logan stated sternly, looking firmly into her swollen, red eyes. Sighing, he relaxed a little and tapped the cushion next to him, motioning for her to come join in, the father in him instantly taking over as soon as he saw the fear and wariness in her eyes "Here, let me show you something."

Stephanie obliged, pushing herself up from her seat on the soft, blue chair and took a seat next to Logan, still leaving a fairly good gap between them.

"I think we'd both feel better if we cleared up a few things first," Logan stated as he pulled his wallet out from his back pocket. Opening it, he pulled out a few pictures, and showed the top one to Stephanie. "This is my oldest daughter, Brienna, she turned 13 last week. She's the one that you met when you came to my house the other day."

The solemn teenager studied the picture with careful eyes. Even though she had always thought of herself as a spitting image of her mom, she could see a great resemblance between this girl and herself. Stephanie nodded, signaling Logan to show her the next picture.

"This is my son, Mathew. He's 9 years old and many say he's turning out to be exactly like me," Logan laughed a little as he looked over at Stephanie, whose eyes were glazing over the worn out picture in his hand, still not saying a word. He pulled the next one, and started to explain it. "And this is my youngest daughter, Samantha, Sammie for short, she's only 4. I don't know if your mom ever mentioned sister Honor, they used to be pretty good friends, but Sammie is a spitting image of her aunt - both in personality and looks."

Logan smiled as he looked down at the photos of his three kids, and then up at Stephanie. After a few moments he showed her the last picture. "And this is all three of them together last Halloween. They are all great kids, and I know that, if given the chance, they would love to meet you and I know they would welcome you with open arms. As for me, I would want nothing more than for you to be a part of my life." He told her sincerely, knowing that they would welcome Stephanie in an instant. He figured that if Stephanie was anything like his other children, or her mother, than they would get along great. "So as you can see, you have nothing to worry about."

Stephanie, who until then had remained silent, finally spoke up. "I know, and I..I would love to meet them. Almost as much as I would love to spend some time with you," Stephanie smiled a little, looking up and into Logan's welcoming eyes. Her body relaxed a little as she started to grow more comfortable around Logan, the nervousness and apprehension barely lingered on anymore. Suddenly realizing something, she looked up and questioned him, " What about your wife? What is she like?"

"I-I'm not married," Logan admitted as Stephanie looked down at his hand and suddenly realized that he didn't have a ring on his finger. "We got divorced a few years ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Stephanie apologized even though she was relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with a step-mother, that had always been her biggest fear whens he thought of what life would be like with her father in it. Maybe it was because she already had a wonderful mom and didn't want anyone attempting to fight her for that spot, or maybe it was because she watched Cinderella too many times as a kid, but either way, she didn't like it. Curious, she questioned him, "What happened?"

"We only got married because she was pregnant with Brie," Logan told her, trying to explain the story as simply as he could, "We were happy for a while, but it didn't last, I don't think we were every really right for each other, we should have never rushed into things. And then when we had Sammie it was almost a last chance at our marriage, but that didn't bring us any closer, and knowing that we could never make it work, we decided to end it."

Logan finished explaining his situation to Stephanie, both finally feeling at ease with each other, and neither of them realizing that just a few feet behind them Rory had quietly came back inside and had been listening to the entire conversation, smiling at the latest revelation that had been revealed.

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You should all review, because the more reviews I get, the faster I will be inspired to write the final chapter!


	8. Alone Time

Okay, you should all be very excited because I changed my mind, this is NOT the last chapter, there is still one more left after this. After all the reviews I got on the last chapter, I decided to add one more thing and make it just a little bit longer. So, be happy, because I don't change my mind easily lol

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.

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Logan finished explaining his situation to Stephanie, both finally feeling at ease with each other, and neither of them realizing that just a few feet behind them Rory had quietly came back inside and had been listening to the entire conversation, smiling at the latest revelation that had been revealed._

Rory stood in the doorway, resting against the white wood, her arms folded across her chest as she continued to listen in on the conversation between father and daughter. She knew it was wrong, but she didn't want to make her presence known just quite yet. Starting to feel slightly guilty, she started to turn around, ready to head back outside and wait for them to call her back in. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and quietly spun around, her feet gently sliding against the wooden floor.

Just when she thought she was almost out of sight, she heard a voice behind her, calling out her name.

"Rory?" Logan questioned as he turned around and saw Rory standing behind them. "When did you come back inside?"

"Oh, you know, just a few seconds ago," Rory lied, biting her lip. "You mind if I come and join?" She asked coyly as Logan nodded his head. Her feet now brushing lightly across the soft, grey carpet, Rory walked across the living room floor, taking a seat on chair opposite of Logan.

"Stephanie, do you mind if I talk to your mom alone?" Logan asked the quiet teenager.

"Sure, I'll be upstairs," Stephanie said as she stood up and pranced out of the room, taking one last look at her parents before heading up the winding stairs. Stephanie walked to the end of the hallway and pushed her door open, throwing herself onto her bed, curling up against the white backboard. She tried to be quiet so she could hear what they were saying downstairs, but they weren't talking loud enough, so she quickly gave up and grabbed her ipod off of table next to her, shoving the headphones into her ear as she smiled and grabbed her journal, ready to write down the events of the day.

Rory and Logan sat in silence, waiting for the footsteps to stop and for the sound of the door closing before either dared to say anything. As it grew quiet, Rory took a breathe, and turned to adress Logan. They waited for footsteps to stop and for the sound of the bedroom door closing behind her before either dared to speak.

"You two getting along okay?" Rory questioned, folding her hands in her lap as she shifty uncomfortably in her seat, you could almost feel the tension in the air between them.

"Yeah," Logan smiled, nervously tapping his fingers on his knee, "She's a sweet girl."

"That she is," Rory agreed, her face brightening as she thought about her daughter. But her face quickly reverted back to its previous serious expression, "Whatever you do, I don't want you to hurt her."

"I would never hurt her," Logan stated firmly, gazing into Rory's eyes. His line of sight lingered there for a moment, just staring into her blue eyes, not so much as to keep eye contact while speaking but because he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. As soon as he realized what he was doing, he quickly looked down and reverted his stare.

"You say that now," Rory reminded him, "But you never know what the future holds."

"How profound of you," Logan rolled his eyes, leaning back in his seat, "But I could never change my mind about something like that."

"I just don't want to see her hurt ever again, especially by you. She was heartbroken. I had never seen her like that before, and it is not something I would ever like to see again," Rory frowned, her voice stern and demanding as she tried to ignore the attraction that seemed to be pulling them together again.

"Why can't you just accept that I would never do something like that?" Logan questioned, still finding it hard to believe that she hadn't realized that he had changed over the last couple of decades. He reached his arm up, running his hand through his golden hair as he awaited her response.

"I just don't know you that well Logan," She admitted, sighing as she sought out the words to explain it to him, "I don't know who you have become or who you are now. I knew you then, but that was a different time. I just don't know what to think anymore. And besides, you didn't really expect it to be that easy, did you?"

"Just because it's not easy doesn't mean it has to be this hard!" Logan protested as he shot up from his seat, quickly pacing back and forth for a few moments as he calmed himself down. Rory took a deep breath, dropping her head down as she ran her fingers through her hair, her brain trying to process all the given information and sort out her feelings.

"Look, I just want what's best for her, and I think you do too," Rory admitted as she stood up as well, standing just a few inches behind a frustrated Logan.

"Of course I do," Logan agreed, spinning around, their bodies now just inches from each other, so close she could almost hear his heart beating.

"Then let's just agree to do whatever we can to make it the best and easiest for her," Rory suggested with a slight twinkle in her eye, tilting her head up, the close proximity between the two of them sending shivers down her spine. Instead of pushing herself away, she stood her ground, her body still.

"I like that idea,' Logan admitted. Not able to take it anymore, he closed the remaining space between them, brushing his hand against her face as he gently pressed his lips to hers.

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I've decided my goal for this story is to reach 100 reviews when it is over, but that shouldn't be too hard, I'm almost there, so review!

But what would be REALLY amazing is if all of you who haven't yet could go and review the final chapter of "You're her brother?" because I'm really close to 400 reviews, and that has been my goal for a while.

And like I said, there still one more chapter left for this story, but that WILL be the final chapter. It should be up soon :)


	9. Party Time

First of all, I'd like to say that all my readers are soo amazing, and you already have me so close to 100 reviews that I know I'll reach it after I post this chapter. Thank you all so much! So without further ado, here it is, the last chapter. It is set 2 years in the future and will hopefully wrap everything up for you. I'd also like to thank Fluf for all her help on this story. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls

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_Two years later..._

Stephanie was perched on her favorite swing, her feet dangling beneath her, reading her favorite book. It was her favorite spot in her new house, her secluded swing out among the trees where she could relax and be alone. When she was here, she didn't have a care in the world. She pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and flipped to the next page, completely lost in her book and unaware of her surroundings.

"Stephanie!" She heard her little sister shout from behind her as she came running up to her, bouncing as her long blonde hair flew behind her. "Daddy says it's almost time for the party to start, and that people will be here any minute. It's special for you, so hurry up!"

"Okay, squirt, I'll be right there," Stephanie said as she ruffled Sammie's hair before the young girl turned away to run back to the house. Stephanie was graduating next week, and they had planned to barbecue and invite the family over in celebration. Smiling, she closed her book, stood up from her beloved spot, and traced her way back to the house.

This house was larger than her old one, and she wasn't sure whether she liked that or not. Sure, everyone had lots of space and you never felt too crowded, but in a way she missed her tiny, quaint old home. Not that she was complaining, though.

Running her fingers along the leaves of trees as she passed, Stephanie walked down the long, winding path, her feet shuffling in the loose dirt, and then up wooden porch steps, barely making a sound as she lightly glided over each step. She glanced over her shoulder, watching as Mathew played basketball with his cousin, Ryan, and a few of his neighborhood friends while Sammie forced Brie to join her in drawing with chalk on the pavement. The six year old was attempting to spell the word "congratulations" in bright yellow across the smooth ground, but failed and it came out looking more like "congatulatons" with each letter crooked and unproportioned in size with each other.

"Can you take this outside and put it on the table?" Logan asked her as she walked through the glass door, snapping her out of her trance as he shoved a plate of food in her hands, almost sending her fumbling over.

"Sure, why not," Stephanie grumbled as she regained her balance and carried the heavy plate outside as Logan turned on the barbecue. She carefully unwrapped the plastic from around the large, glass plate and pulled it off before returning into the house to get another platter of food to be brought out. Next she went for the napkins and plates and anything else she could manage carry in one trip.

"Want any help?" Fifteen year old Brienna questioned as she escaped her little sister's game and joined Stephanie in the spacious kitchen, her fingers running along the granite countertops.

"Sure, there's only a few things left, though," Stephanie smiled as she passed a few of the objects in her hands over to Brie, stepping in front of her and out the door again, almost tripping on the doorway.

"Matt!" Logan shouted across the yard as his son, who instantly dropped the basketball in his hands at the sound of his father's voice. "Send your friends home, the rest of the family is going to be here any minute." Reluctantly, the preteen boy said goodbye to his friends as he and Ryan grumbled and made their way back inside to clean up and make themselves presentable for their grandparents.

"Daddy, my dress is all dirty," Sammie complained as she ran up to her dad, looking down at her pretty pink dress, now covered in rainbow chalk dust.

"That's why you're not supposed to play with chalk in your nice clothes," Logan reminded her as she began to pout, putting on her best sad face, puppy dog eyes and all. Logan smiled and reached over to tickle her, thrusting her up in the air as he swung her around, sending Sammie into a fit of laughter. "Now go change into one of your other dresses," He instructed her as he gently set her back down on the ground. The little girl obeyed, and scurried off to her room to put on one of the other many, many dresses she had in her closet.

"Dad, where's mom?" Stephanie questioned, looking around as she realized her mom wasn't downstairs yet.

"I'm right here," The now 7 month pregnant Rory shouted as she waddled through the large glass doors, her long sundress flowing down to her swollen ankles. She first made her way over to Logan, who pulled her into a quick kiss before gently rubbing her stomach and heading back inside to gather a few more things for the party.

"Happy graduation, honey," Rory squealed as she made her way over to her daughter and squeezed her tight, a slight tear in her eye, "I can't believe how fast you grew up."

Before Stephanie had a chance to say anything back to her slightly over-emotional mother, Lorelai came bursting through the doors shouting "Stephanie!" with Luke trailing closely behind her.

Stephanie instantly spun around and bolted over to her grandmother and squeezed her tight. "Thanks for coming, grandma," She whispered as she pulled away and turned to give Luke a hug, too.

"I would never miss a party," Lorelai assured her granddaughter before she continued on to say the rest of her hello's, "And I don't see nearly enough of you, anymore. You hardly ever visit," She jokingly scolded.

"Sorry, grams," Stephanie apologized, "I've been really busy preparing for graduation." Stephanie thought for a minute, and then added, "I'll be right back, I'm going to go get my camera from my room."

"Okay, sweetie," Lorelai said as she made her way over to her daughter, pulling her into an awkward hug, "Same goes for you too, missie. I feel like I never see you."

"I know, mom," Rory sighed as she latched into her mother's arms, "But you'll be seeing plenty of me when this little one is born," Rory assured her as she gestured to her stomach, "You'll be on full time babysitting duty."

"I can't wait," Lorelai smiled, "Are you coming to Friday Night Dinner this week?"

"Umm.." Rory started, thinking for a minute, her hands resting on her belly. She had plans that day, and was about to say no, but then she caught the look her in her mom's eye, a mix between anger and disappointment, and quickly changed her mind, "Of course. Logan has to go out of town for a few days on Wednesday, and I'm picking him up from the airport Friday, but we should be back in time to make it."

"Good," Lorelai stated as she moved on to greet the rest of the family, giving Logan his hug before he went back to barbequing.

Inside Stephanie ran through the house, her feet gliding across the floor, storming up the winding wooden stairway. Swinging her door open, she grabbed the camera off of her bed as she glanced up, her gaze landing upon the old photo of her dad that now hung proudly on her wall. Looking at it for a moment, she smiled, and then whisked back out the door and outside to the rejoin party.

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THE END


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